Microsoft Is Giving Away The Original Crackdown For Free

Who doesn't like a free game? You can get one right now, if you have an Xbox 360 or an Xbox One. The original Crackdown is totally free right now, according to VG247, in order to celebrate the impending launch of Crackdown 3, which arrives on Feb. 15.

Crackdown is probably most famous for including a code that granted access to the Halo 3 multiplayer beta. But over time, it's become a beloved Xbox exclusive that many gamers look back on fondly. There isn't a whole lot of love for Crackdown 2, mind you, and that appears to be a game that Microsoft is more than happy to forget. But the very first Crackdown? It's been put on a pedestal ever since Crackdown 3 entered development many, many years ago.

For what it's worth, Crackdown arrived back in 2007 to fairly mixed reviews. Jeff Gerstmann writing for GameSpot said this: "Crackdown feels unfinished. It feels like the developers sat down and crafted a wonderful-looking city and carefully considered how the gameplay and abilities should work, and then they didn't have enough time to plug in enough activities to take advantage of it all." IGN, however, felt a little bit differently. "So, you know when you start hearing the sounds of a videogame in your sleep?" the outlet's Douglass C. Perry wrote. "In my case, it was the throbbing wub-wub of a hidden blue orb, stashed somewhere deep in my subconsciousness. That's the sound of a great game."

Still, free is free. It'll cost you literally zero dollars to give the original Crackdown a playthrough before the new one arrives. And by all accounts, Crackdown 3 will lean heavily upon everything people loved about the original, while taking advantage of the Xbox One's increased power. And perhaps the best thing of all about Crackdown 3? If you subscribe to Xbox Game Pass, which rings up at $10 a month, you'll gain full access to the game when it arrives on Feb. 15.